The 2021-22 Concert Season ushered in the WSO’s inaugural Young Artists Concerto Competition, which is open to students aged 13-18 who reside in several Central Virginia counties. Structured similar to other music competitions — and not unlike the work required for a music conservatory audition — our Waynesboro Symphony Concerto Competition is a 2-round competition. The initial round consists of  submitting an unedited video recording of the competitor’s entry, selected from a list of approved repertoire. Entries have to be a minimum of 8 minutes long but not exceed 25 minutes.

In October, 2022, these entries were reviewed by a committee of professional musician judges, and they selected finalists who were invited to Waynesboro to participate in the final, live round in November, before a new panel of judges. The winners were invited to perform their selections with the WSO at its February 2022 concerts. A cash prize was also awarded to each winner.

Congratulations to our 2022 Concerto Competition Winners:

• Cindy Liu, Oboe (Harrisonburg High School), performed Haydn: Oboe Concerto in C Major (Mvt. I. Allegro Spirituoso)
• Bob Kammauff, Tuba (Charlottesville High School), performed Gregson: Tuba Concerto (Mvt. I. Allegro Deciso)
• Zifan “Francis” Deng, Viola (The Miller School) performed Hoffmeister: Viola Concerto in D Major, (Mvt. I.  Allegro)

The WSO will hold this Concerto Competition every few years, with the next one scheduled for our 2024-25 season.